Fall-board mechanism for pianos.



G. E. PRYOR; FALL BOARD MECHANISM FOR PIANOS. APPLICATION FILED JULY 12,1907.

898,781, Patented Sept. 15,1908.

4 TTOR/V E V THE NORRIS PETERS cc, xwsszmanm. n. c.

CLARENCE E. PRYOR, OF BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK.

FALL-BOARD MECHANISM FOR PIANOS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 15, 1908.

Application filed July 12, 1907. Serial No. 383,531.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE E. PRYOR, a cltizen of the United States,residing at Binghamton, in the county of Broome and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fall-BoardMechanisms for Pianos, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in fall board mechanisms for pianosin which horizontal and upright boards operate in conjunction with aseries of arms and sliding blocks to control the action of the fallboard as the piano is opened.

The objects of my improvement are 1. To economize space in the interiorof the piano. 2 To avoid the fall and jar that often occurs in theoperation of a fall board operated in the ordinary method. 3. To permitthe piano to be opened for a period of time and at the same time toprevent the accumulation of dust on the interior parts of the pianowhile it thus remains open. I attain these objects by the mechanismillustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a crosssection of the front portion of a piano taken on the line 11 of Fig 2.Fig. 2 is a sectional plan taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In my invention, A is the front fall board of a piano; B is the backfall board of a piano, and C the upright of the back fall.

S is the name board of a piano.

The front fall board A has a hinged connection with the back fall B atthe hinge H as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. And when opened the frontfall tips back to the position shown by I. The back fall has a hingedconnection with the name board of the piano at J, and to this back fallB is firmly attached an arm K by screw connections 1 and 2. A similararm is attached to the opposite end also of the back fall B. The arm Kis connected with the link L by pivotal connections at M. The link L ispivoted at N with the sliding block D. The sliding block D is firmlyattached to the upright back fall C. The sliding block D operatesbetween the two projecting shoulders E and O as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.The

shoulders E and O are firmly attached to the side of the frame R of thepiano, and furnish a supporting track for the movement of the slidingblock D. When the piano is opened the front fall board A is tipped backinto a position shown at I. The back fall B operating on its hinge J istipped back until it is in an upright position. It then takes the placeof the upright back fall C as shown by B, and A is then in the positionshown at I. As the back fall is lifted up, it moves the arm K whichconnecting with the link L pushes back the slide D which as beforestated, is firmly attached to the upright back fall C, and hence moves Cbackward and downward until it assumes the position as shown at Q, andthe back fall B has taken its place as shown at B. In this position, thearm K has then assumed the position shown by K and the link L hasassumed the position shown by L. A similar slide D and a similar arm Kand link L have connections with the opposite end of the upright backfall C, and in this manner and by this operation the fall board islifted from over the key board and the piano is opened.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and for which Idesire Letters Patent, are as follows 1. In a piano, the piano bodyhaving a fall board comprising two sections, one in front of the other,the first section hinged to the second section, the second sectionhinged to the piano body, projecting metallic arms firml r attached tothe second section of the fall board; links within the piano body havingpivotal connection with the arms on the second section of the fallboard; an upright back fall behind such fall board forming the front ofthe piano case, sliding blocks secured to the back fall and projectinginto the interior ofthe piano body; parallel shoulders projecting fromeither side of the piano body and between which said sliding blocks moveand are guided, the links having pivotal connection with the slidingblocks, and when moved inward by the lifting of the second section,pushing inward the blocks so that when the second section is tipped, theupright back fall will be caused to move inward guided by the slidingblocks and. leaving an open space for the reception of the secondsection, which then becomes raised to an upright position.

2. In a piano, the piano body having a fall board composed of twosections hinged together, the front section extending down over theouter ends of the key bars, its inner edge hinged to the second sect on,and so connected as to permit of its being folded piano body, andcapable of being raised by v this hinged connection into an uprightosition, carrying with it the first section folded over upon it; saidpiano body having an up right movable front, having on each end armsextending within the body and parallel with the sides of the body,inclined guides carried by the iano body to receive said arms, each armlavin link connection with the second section of the fall board.

3. The combination with a piano or like instrument, of a fall boardprotecting the keys thereof, a back fall in rear of the fall board andadapted to be shifted backward into the piano case, downwardly andrearwardly inclined arms carried by the back fall, similarly inclinedguides on the sides of the piano to receive said arms and direct thefall board, and connections between the fall board and back fall tocause the back fall to retreat into the piano case as the fall board isopened.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

CLARENCE E. PRYOR. Witnesses: I

FLINT W. WRIGHT, A. G. HALL.

